Market Basket Reflects Cotton Impact

NEW YORK - The effect of JCPenney's new, pared down pricing policy created the most dramatic shift in this year's annual HTT Market Basket Survey.

HTT went into the fi eld after JCPenney lowered its base pricing on Feb. 1, and the change was eye-opening. Compared to spring 2011, a basket of standard bedding and bathproducts at opening price points rang in at nearly half of last year's ticket. JCPenney's basket of top price point goods dropped 37.5% from last year.

The survey - which examined the highest and lowest priced items at key retailers in New York City, New Jersey, Long Island and Miami - is not necessarily repre-sentative of a retailer's overall pricing grid, but it does assess the pricing consumers found in those stores in those markets during early February. Goods that were marked down were not included. The survey is based on full-priced merchandise.

For the complete report, including vast pricing charts, see the 27 February 2012 print issue of Home Textiles Today.